Magic May Have Aided Cup Victor

Cameroon owes its World Cup success to physical prowess, but team doctor Pierre Tsala Mbala says witch doctors and sorcerers may give the players a psychological edge.

Witchcraft plays a major role in African soccer, even though officials have tried in recent years to discourage ties between players and purveyors of “traditional medicine.”

Tsala Mbala said witch doctors are prohibited from physically treating members of the Cameroon team, which shocked defending champion Argentina 1-0 in Friday’s opening match.

But the professor of human physiology said there is nothing wrong with players seeking advice, predictions or good-luck charms from witch doctors.

“You cannot explain victories by magic,” said Tsala Mbala, a specialist in sports medicine. “But the magic is a little something extra for the players psychologically.”